I Said Not A Space Cave
by JunoInferno
Summary: All Donna wanted was to not give birth in a space cave. Where is she? Space cave. Part of the Regarding Mrs Smith ficverse.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Amy, Rory or anyone else who might show up. So, welcome again. This is the sequel to Planet of the Gingers, sequel to An Uninvited Ginger, sequel to Ginger Christmas, sequel to Regarding Mrs Smith... You don't have to read those, I'm going to refer to them, but the plot's not going to hang on it. So, this is just a taste, but I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think.

Also, I don't know if I need to say this but I'm going non-Canon in regards to the whole River situation. I feel like I pretty much went non-canon on like everything I write, I don't know. Just letting you know.

* * *

><p>When one married a time travelling alien, one acknowledged certain things, at least if she wanted to maintain her sanity.<p>

One was that he didn't always know where his ship was going. Yeah, that whole, "Anywhere, any-when" bit was a nice idea and probably a good pick-up line, but it didn't actually happen that way.

The second was that women were always going to make eyes at him. They probably wouldn't if they had seen some of his other incarnations, but this one was possessed of a certain charm and sexiness. Donna had to get used to that. It had taken a while but she had done it. The time she had met Rose Tyler had been pretty irritating the way the blonde had walked in and just assumed the Doctor was hers. Donna had been pretty busy that day, what with the universe ending, worrying about her Time Baby and the fact that her head almost blew up. Besides, it wasn't as if Rose was coming back anytime soon. At any rate, she knew the Doctor was hers.

Donna had happily made compromises. She had finally realized after the metacrisis and a few episodes of Oprah that she was destined for this life and the Doctor. She had always been a temp because no career could ever be this brilliant. She had never had a family because Zara and Chloe- if the Doctor would just stop arguing with her over that name!- and any other Ginger Time Babies were the children she was always meant to have. She had never married because the only man, well, spaceman, who could ever be enough for her admittedly stringent requirements was the Doctor. And yeah, she was the one who was meant to save the universes.

She had made one demand. Just one demand. One perfectly reasonable little request that she was certain her friends back on Earth took for granted.

She didn't want to give birth in a space cave.

Yet, where was she?

Space cave.

Secretly, Donna had known it would go down like this.

Okay, she wasn't in a space cave, per se, but the TARDIS was parked in a definite space cave and there was some bloody "Forever Fountain" and who had brought them here with the Psychic Paper? River Bloody Song. What the hell was that name? Were her parents hippies? Donna had some other questions for River's parents, such as why their daughter had arrived on the TARDIS in stripper heels and pranced around as if she knew the place. Then Amy and Rory had gone with them.

This was her bloody fault. Who did she think was constantly calling the Doctor to save her life? Meanwhile, Donna was in here with no company but Zara and Esther.

Which was just flipping great, because Donna was in labor.

If she made it through this, she was going to kill the Doctor.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Amy, Rory or U2. Or Party Girl! Thanks for the reads and reviews. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.

* * *

><p><strong><em>SOME TIME EARLIER<em>**

The beach. Spaceman had actually managed to get her to a beach.

Sure, it had only been like three years and there were a few ill-fated attempts. The first was one right before a volcano erupted. The second time she had been arrested for forcing herself on the Doctor, but they had gotten married, so it was a mixed bag really. The last attempt had involved them escaping giant mosquitoes. All she wanted was to lay on the beach and relax, just for a little while.

This was of course not including the time they were about to go to a beach and got waylaid to a library planet full of invisible flesh eaters and Donna got sucked into the computer core.

So here she was, relaxing under an umbrella, sipping on a nice smoothie made out of whatever fruit was on this planet and watching the Doctor and Zara play in the water. The Doctor would let Zara hang off him and dipped her toes in the water, but every time the waves came in she shrieked and climbed back up on the Doctor with baby chimp like efficiency.

The Doctor gathered Zara up and gave her a kiss on the top of the head, making his way back to their little patch of sand.

"Mummy..." cried Zara coming towards Donna with open arms.

"Oh, what was wrong out there? Daddy had you," said Donna as she dried Zara off.

"No water," she said with a sniffle.

"It's not her fault," said the Doctor. "Gallifreyans aren't natural swimmers. We have an innate fear of the water."

"You swim," said Donna. "Your time machine has a pool in it."

"I'm nine hundred, Donna, I've had time to work at it," said the Doctor. "We'll try again in a little while."

Donna sat back in her chair and Zara rested against her.

"Why don't you go for a swim?," asked the Doctor. "Might help your backache."

"No, I'm fine here," said Donna, content to let Zara snuggle against her. "You are sure it's not labor?"

"Very sure, Donna," said the Doctor.

She motioned at Zara. "If you remember this one could have been born at a performance of Hairspray."

"You're not even due for another month. She was keeping us waiting," he said motioning at Zara.

"She was not, that was just you and your ginger Time Baby obsession. You couldn't wait to get your hands on one."

"Oh, but she's cute and fun."

"She's not a puppy!"

The Doctor smiled. "Where did Amy and Rory get off to?"

"I gave him the idea to ask ger for a romantic walk on the beach to the cliffs in the brochure."

"Those two can't seem to get it together..."

"I know. It's as if he'll have to be poisoned with cyanide to express his true feelings."

"Right," smiled the Doctor at the little joke. "Of course, then she'll have to feel threatened by an archaeologist-"

"I am not threatened by someone dressed like the Stig!"

"Oh, fine then."

A waiter brought them lunch and they polished it off quickly. Then the Doctor took Zara to the edge of the waves to build a sand castle.

A man stopped by Donna.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi," said Donna.

"How far along are you?," he asked.

"Who wants to know?," asked Donna crossing her arms. She really was in no mood for Time Baby kidnappers.

"Hello!," said the Doctor, coming back with Zara.

"Oh," said the man. "Is this your suitor? When are you two done?"

"Suitor?," asked Donna.

"Actually, we have an extended arrangement," said the Doctor casually. "I've got her booked through the next two."

"Well, if you change your mind, this is me," said the man handing Donna an octagonal business card and winking as he walked off.

"What was all that?," asked Donna.

"On this planet, mating rituals vary somewhat. Generally, a male and a female mate for the time it takes to produce one offspring. When the baby's born, the male gives the female money and she's off to her next suitor."

"You mean these people just stay together long enough to have a baby?"

"Precisely, though on occasion you can arrange to have several children, which is what I just said was our arrangement."

"That's disgusting," said Donna. "And what? They just leave the babies with the fathers?"

"What? You don't trust fathers with babies?"

"I trust you," said Donna. "Babies need mummies, though."

"There are lots of species where the male has the primary child-rearing duties, even carrying offspring."

"And are Time Lords one of them?"

"No," said the Doctor.

"No." Donna pulled Zara back on her lap.

The Doctor looked back at the sidewalk running along behind the beach. Rory was walking along behind Amy and what seemed to be a lifeguard.

"Oh, not again," said the Doctor.

Donna looked back. "What is it with him?"

"What is that? Five times I've given him a perfect setup?"

"Are you counting that incident with the Judoon? That wasn't exactly perfect."

"I don't know what else I can do, Donna."

"Maybe it's too much."

"How do you mean?"

"You're a Time Lord, you travel across all of time and space, your date ideas may be a little over the top. Most girls are happy with dinner and a movie."

"I haven't heard complaints."

"My point is Rory's just an ordinary bloke, you need to get something where he can shine. Like a regular date."

"Dinner and a movie?," the Doctor said in dismay.

"Yes."

"What about a concert?"

"I suppose..." Donna said warily, wondering when exactly they would be meeting Mozart.

"It'll be a perfectly normal concert."

"Since when can you do perfectly normal?"

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Milan!," said the Doctor as he pushed Zara's pram out of the TARDIS.<p>

Rory, Amy and Donna stepped out of the TARDIS. It was warm and sticky and everyone seemed to be walking somewhere.

"Wait. This looks normal. What year is this?," asked Rory.

"Two thousand and nine."

"You took us to last year?," asked Rory.

"Were you in Milan last year?," asked the Doctor.

"No."

"Well, stop complaining then!"

"And what is so special about Milan in 2009 in what is this? August?," asked Donna.

"July seventh. Come on!"

They followed the Doctor as he made his way through the crowd and to a couple of burly looking security guards.

"Is this a concert?," asked Amy. "You're taking us to a concert?"

"Hello!," the Doctor said cheerfully to the guards. "I'm on the list. I'm the Doctor."

"You're on the list?," asked Donna. "What are you on the list for?"

One of the guards looked at the clipboard from behind his designer sunglasses. He looked back up in slight disbelief. "You can go in. Just follow the corridor."

The Doctor looked back at them and smiled. "Off we go."

They walked down the corridor to another set of bulky guards where the line about being on the list and being the Doctor seemed to work. An assistant gave them backstage passes to put on and that's when the others finally saw where they had arrived at.

"We're at U2?," asked Rory.

"This is U2!," said Amy desperately trying to stave off a squeal of excitement.

"How are you on the list for U2?," asked Donna.

"I'm on the list for lots of things."

"You took me to U2 last year when I didn't remember who you were. We were in the upper level of Wembley!"

"You said you had fun," said the Doctor.

"I didn't know you had backstage pass getting powers!," exclaimed Donna. "You didn't even have to use the psychic paper. Wait a tick, why didn't you have to use the psychic paper?"

"Hi, Doctor," said a man in a flannel shirt and a black skullcap.

"Hello!," the Doctor replied cheerfully.

"The Edge just said hi to you!," said Amy.

"You know the Edge?," asked Rory.

"I know the whole band. I was there at the beginning."

"What do you mean you were there at the beginning?," Amy asked excitedly.

"I mean, Bono almost didn't responde to that notice Larry put up wanting to form a band until I pointed it out to him."

"So, you were just hanging around Ireland?"

"No, I was chasing these aliens turning people into zombies. I happened to run into Bono when he was just a teenager. After the zombie chase was done, I went back to check on the band later, to make certain I hadn't mucked up the time lines and Bono recognized me and that's how I got on the list."

"You told them you were a time travelling alien?," asked Rory.

"Of course I did. It's U2. You can't lie to U2."

"Bono put you on the list!," Amy said in delight.

"Well, don't just stand here, go on!," said the Doctor. "Rory, go with her."

Amy ran off and Rory caught up. The Doctor turned back to Donna and saw that her expression wasn't one of satisfaction.

"What?"

"It was too much," said Donna.

"What do you mean it was too much? I took them to a concert not a year in their past!"

"One, we're in Milan. Two, you took them to the biggest rock band in the world-"

"You should see the Catkind tribute band! They're called Meow2."

Donna ignored the hundredth ridiculous comment the Doctor had made that day. "Which just happens to be her favorite. And you know Bono and the Edge just said hi to you-"

"I can't help that."

"It's just that I know Amy doesn't have romantic feelings for you, but anytime a regular man is standing next to you, he looks... inadequate. Look at poor Mickey."

"Oh," said the Doctor. Maybe he had been unfair without realizing it. "Should we leave?"

Donna contorted her face in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? We're backstage at U2! We're not leaving until I've got a picture of us next to Bono to show to Nerys."

The Doctor introduced the companions and his family to the band, which just seemed to confuse them. They got Donna's picture for Nerys and got seats in the round in front of the stage. Donna worried about all the noise for Zara, but the Doctor assured her that the Time Baby's ears wouldn't be affected. In fact Zara seemed to share her father's affinity for the band as she tried to babble with the music. Amy even took a turn holding her and trying to teach her the words.

The show began in spectacular fashion. The Doctor kept glancing back every so often at Amy and Rory. Amy was delighted and Rory looked miserable. He was starting to doubt his skills as a matchmaker. Maybe he should leave the whole thing up to Donna, she seemed to have a better handle on it. He recollected that his own attempts at wooing Donna had been fraught with setbacks. He first said "I didn't mean the detox" when she was almost asleep, that wasn't really a great strategy. His marriage proposal had finally come to save Donna from a three thousand year jail sentence even though he had meant to for weeks. How was he supposed to get Rory to say anything to Amy when he hadn't for years?

He felt Donna poke his arm as she held Donna. "I've got to take her for a changing."

"I've got it," said the Doctor, taking Zara from her.

"You're sure?"

"I've got it."

The Doctor walked into the bowels of the stadium cheerfully singing to Zara as he could still hear "Party Girl" playing onstage. "_I know she wants more than a party, party girl.._."

Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hello, sweetie."

It was River Song. He could see she was wearing a vortex manipulator. It looked a lot like Jack's.

"Uh, Professor Song, I-"

"It's a great concert. You always did have a taste for popular culture I didn't quite follow."

"It's U2!," said the Doctor in dismay. How the hell was this woman supposed to be from his future?

River didn't answer. She said, "Hello, Zara."

The Doctor stiffened. Not liking that. Zara's gaze was focused on River, the Doctor could sense her confusion as she tried to figure out who she was and why her dad was so thrown off.

"You know, they make a recording of this concert called 'The Other Side of Silence.'"

"Is that significant?," asked the Doctor.

River shrugged. "Spoilers."

"Wait, silence. Do you mean the Silence?"

River shook her head. "It's really too early in your time stream for that."

"Then why bother showing up here?," he spat. "Just so you can show off?"

"You mean like you?" She started programming the vortex manipulator. "Oh, look how the day dwindles. Must be off, sweetie."

Then she disappeared. The Doctor looked at Zara.

"I think if we could not tell your mummy, that would be best."

"Lady go bye-bye?"

"Yes, hopefully for a while."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, River, Amy or Rory. I don't really have any spoilers in here, unless you haven't seen Silence in the Library, in which case that was almost four years ago. I've borrowed some things from The Time of Angels, but this won't be like The Time of Angels. Again, going non-canon on River, but either I go non-canon on everything or I don't understand the meaning of non-canon. Also, I want to apologize but I seem to keep referring back to other stories I've written in this fic-verse. So, if you can't follow a line or something it's in one of those or if you get really confused let me know. Anyway, thanks for the reads and the follows and enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think!

* * *

><p>The Doctor couldn't sleep. He was too worried.<p>

In his early days, he had thought it wasn't in this regeneration's nature to worry but he supposed that was because he didn't have anything to lose. Now he did.

River Song had known Zara at the concert, but at the Library she hadn't known Donna. How could she not know Donna and know Zara? The two were inseparable, the time Donna had been taken away on the Planet of the Gingers was the longest they had ever been apart, so if she had met Zara, she should have met Donna. Why did she not know Donna? He was almost starting to regret not having taken River's diary with him, spoilers be damned. He could have just played along, it wouldn't have been the first time.

River could be anytime in his future. Far, far in his future, after Donna was... He didn't want to think about losing her to anything, even old age.

And he definitely didn't want to think about losing her any time soon.

So, he laid awake next to Donna and watched her sleep. She looked so relaxed, on her side facing him, one hand over her protruding stomach, protective even as she slept. He watched her eyelids flutter as she dreamt, probably dreaming along with their unborn Ginger Time Baby.

He could stay like that forever.

* * *

><p>Donna woke up to find that she was alone. Well, not exactly, Esther had taken the spot where the Doctor slept. She was used to that, the Doctor didn't have much patience for sleep. She noted her back still hurt but Donna didn't have time to ponder that because she next heard Zara calling for her. She got up and walked through the door that led directly into Zara's nursery. The little girl was standing at the railing of her cot and narrowed her eyes at Donna's stomach.<p>

"Baby," she said. It was as if she was surprised the bump was still there every morning or as if she had forgotten about it in the night and had dreams of herself, Mummy, Daddy and Esther travelling through time and space forever, all their attention focused on Zara and only Zara.

"Yes, baby," said Donna, rubbing her swollen belly. "Do you want to feel her kick?"

Zara was at least more curious than bitter for this bit, Donna took her tiny hand and pressed it to where the baby was kicking up a storm.

"There? Do you feel that? The baby is kicking inside Mummy."

"Mean baby," Zara concluded.

_Great, thought Donna, I've given her another reason to hate her little sister._ "No, she's not doing it on purpose, she's just trying to stretch. She's all curled up in there. You used to as well."

Zara took her hand away. "Zara no kick."

"No, believe me, you used to kick all the time when you lived inside Mummy. Actually, both times." _Because thank you, Time Beetle, I got to deliver the same baby twice. It's one thing if you're getting two..._

Zara looked at Donna as if the idea that she would kick her mummy, the center of her universe, was impossible.

"Yes, you did. You have Daddy's long legs, you can't help yourself." She picked up Zara. "Here, let me show you."

Donna took Zara and sat her on the bed in the master bedroom, forcing Esther to move further to the edge of the bed. She pulled out the pink baby book and opened to the first page.

"See? That's you."

"Where?"

Donna pointed to her arms in the photo, holding a tiny pink bundle with ginger hair sticking out. She looked exhausted, she thought, and the Doctor had a stupid grin on his face. "Right there, sweetheart, that was you. You were so tiny and look, everyone came to see you..." She started turning pages. "There's Gran and Gramps. There's your Uncle Ianto and Jack. Martha. Sarah Jane, Luke and his friends." _Then you know, you got kidnapped, Mummy got shocked with some alien taser, Mummy wrestled your kidnapper and Gwen put a gun to the nutter's head and somehow Mummy didn't put together what was going on..._

"Baby." Zara pointed at a close up of herself.

"Yes, Zara, that's you. Look there's your hospital bracelet." Which Ianto probably made in photoshop... "Baby girl Smith, that's you, well, that was you until Mummy and Daddy gave you a proper name."

"No."

"You are getting sillier all time, Zara. If you weren't that tiny, how do you think you fit inside Mummy?"

Zara pondered. "Bigger on the inside?"

Donna groaned. "Just my luck to have a baby with a concept of theoretical physics."

"Thirsty," Zara said pulling on Donna's pajama top.

"Of course," said Donna, pulling down the top for Donna. _At least I have two, won't have to break up any fights for them._

"How are my girls?," asked the Doctor sitting next to them on the bed.

Donna scoffed. "The usual. Tired. Thirsty."

The Doctor spotted the baby book. "Oh! Baby pictures!" He leaned over to flip through the album. "My Zara! You tiny, tiny thing! Look at this growth chart! You beat every milestone!"

Donna smiled. "So, where are we off to today? Mind you, I could do with a bit of baby shopping. Not that I have anywhere to put it... When did the TARDIS make Zara's nursery?"

The Doctor thought. "I think I found it right after we came back from Pete's World."

"But I was only three months then. Shouldn't she have made the new baby a nursery by now? Or does she think Zara will share? Because I don't think that's a good idea."

"Maybe she's made it and it's just hidden."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Well, do you think she maybe wants to tell me so I can know where the baby will be sleeping?"

"She'll let you know when it's time, she probably just got overly excited for Zara."

Donna watched as he pulled the psychic paper out of his breast pocket, looked at it and put it back in.

"What was that?," asked Donna.

"Nothing," his voice squeaked with the lie.

"Really? Getting spam on the psychic paper now, are you?"

"Yes. That's it."

Donna frowned. "What is it?"

"We're not going."

"What is it?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Then show me."

"It doesn't matter."

"If it doesn't matter, then why won't you show me?"

The Doctor sighed and grudgingly handed Donna the psychic paper. It was a string of numbers signed with "X."

"A kiss," said Donna, handing him back the psychic paper. "Well, I suppose we know who signs with a kiss."

The Doctor shook his head. "We're not going."

"You know, when someone contacts you- even if it's your obsessed, way too young for you ex- they usually have a good reason like it's the end of everything."

"Not going."

"Oh, well, now I know where Zara gets her stubbornness from."

"I'm where Zara gets her stubbornness from?," he said incredulously.

"Look, at the very least we should just see what's going on," said Donna.

The Doctor sighed. "Fine. I'll see what's going on." With that, the Doctor relucantly got up and strode into the TARDIS corridor.

"Well, wait until I've put some make up on!," Donna called after him.

* * *

><p>The Doctor walked into the console room to find Amy and Rory waiting. He strode over to the controls and put in the coordinates from the psychic paper.<p>

"Doctor, where are we going?"

He was just going to tell her not to bother him for a few hundred years. That was it. He just wanted to be left alone. He wanted his family, he wanted Donna, he wanted Ginger Time Babies. Why was that so much to ask from the universe?

Amy waited for an answer and didn't get one. She looked at Rory who seemed clueless. The Doctor was entirely lost in his thoughts. Just tell her to bugger off. Well, he still needed to meet her at the Library and apparently at some point he would take her to the Singing Towers, but other than that, bugger off!

Before he knew it, the TARDIS landed and he headed for the door.

"Where are we, Doctor?," asked Rory, his voice beginning to crack with anxiety. He didn't like the look on the Doctor's face.

The Doctor threw open the TARDIS door and stepped out into...

A cave.

With River Song.

And a whole platoon of soldiers.

She smiled. "Hello, sweetie."

Was she going to say that every time?

She looked at Amy and Rory.

"We've not been introduced."

"Right, Amy, Rory, Professor River Song-"

"Really? I'm going to be a professor someday. How exciting."

He grimaced. "Anyway, not staying, just came to say that I don't have time for this today or really, for the next few hundred years. So, you know, just don't call-"

"Mind if I use the TARDIS sensors then?," she asked.

"Oh, no, Professor Song," said one of the soldiers. "We don't want you disappearing."

"You can come along with me, then," she said. She looked back at the Doctor. "Do you suppose that would be alright? Then you can be on your way."

"You don't know how to use-"

Before the Doctor even realized what was happening, River was waltzing into the TARDIS as if she owned it, followed by the head soldier, called Father Phil, who the Doctor had managed to make take off his gun in the confusion.

Rory leaned in to Amy. "Who is she?"

"I've got no idea..." She suddenly remembered her conversation with the Doctor back on the Planet of the Gingers. "He mentioned Donna was cross about him having some future girlfriend. I'll bet this is her."

"Future girlfriend?" Rory theorized at Donna's possible reaction. "This is not going to be good..."

"So, two companions, that's very classic you," said River as her fingers flew across the console.

Just then, Donna walked in carrying Zara.

"Oh, three," said River. "Three and a half, really."

Zara looked crossly at River, resentful of being called half. The Doctor could sense Zara had already picked up on Donna's intense dislike and distrust of the woman.

"Aren't you overdressed?," asked Donna as she eyed River up and down. Evening gown. Why was she in an evening gown? And what was with the platform stripper heels? Wait, maybe that was it. Maybe River was some outer space stripper that the Doctor helped go to university and that was how they knew each other. Yes, much better idea.

"Better than underdressed," said River.

Okay, she was wearing tights and a tunic, but it was her spaceship and you try finding a lot of fashionable looks when you're eight months pregnant and chasing after a one year old, a Jack Russell terrier and a Time Lord.

"I'm sorry, is that a dig? You want to walk into my house and start insulting me!"

"I was just using the sensors," said River.

"Get your own sensors!," snapped Donna.

"Donna, a word," said the Doctor, not waiting for her answer as he took Donna out.

* * *

><p>"So, did the tart say what she wants?," asked Donna as the Doctor rushed her into the nursery which had suddenly appeared.<p>

"Tart!," said Zara.

"Look what you did!," said the Doctor motioning at Zara.

"She doesn't know what it means," said Donna.

"Okay, let me just remind you of one fact. River Song dies in the Library. She takes my place. Incidentally, she saves your life and then you save the universe-"

"What? Now she saves the universe?"

"I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth."

"I would be surprised if any more could fit in!"

"You might remember that the Library and the experience of being in CAL is what made you admit you had feelings for me. So, if she's never there and you're never in CAL, we don't exist as we are now. Including Zara, including the baby. Maybe we get together later, maybe we have a family, but not this family."

"Chloe is the baby's name," said Donna, trying not to let on how much what the Doctor had just said unnerved her.

"We're not calling her that," said the Doctor.

"Chloe!," said Zara.

"Well, it's two against one," said Donna. She sighed. "But fine, I can follow all your wibbly wobbly nonsense. So, I'll do my best not to end the universe, alright? But I thought you were sending her on her way."

The Doctor saw Zara looking at him as well. She was really starting to master Donna's expressions...

"Right," said the Doctor.

* * *

><p>Amy sided up to River as she worked. "So, you know the Doctor? Are you friends or something?"<p>

"Spoilers," said River still working at the sensors.

"So, you're wearing an evening dress in a cave," said Rory.

River smiled. "I had to leave a party in a bit of a rush."

Father Phil approached River. "You said you would get the Doctor to help us."

"And he will," said River.

Rory and Amy exhanged wary glances as the Doctor returned to the console room. Donna and Zara were right behind him.

"About finished?," the Doctor asked River.

"Oh, yes, I'll be out of your hair."

"Tart!," said Zara.

Everyone stared at Zara.

"I promised her a banana tart," said the Doctor. "So, we really need to be off and getting that."

"Very well then," said River. "I suppose we'll just have to find the Forever Fountain on our own."

River and Father Phil walked out of the TARDIS.

"Well, that was easy enough," said Donna.

Before the words had finished coming out of her mouth, the Doctor was standing in the doorway of the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry, did you say the Forever Fountain?"

Donna groaned. He had that sound in his voice, that bloody curiosity.

They so weren't getting out of here.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Amy or Rory. Thanks for the reads and reviews. Please enjoy this one and let me know what you think, short as it is.

* * *

><p>"Why, yes, I did say Forever Fountain," Donna heard River's smug voice saying.<p>

Donna thought this was seriously getting out of control. She looked harshly at Amy and Rory. "Neither of you ask-"

"What's the Forever Fountain?," asked Amy, following the Doctor out of the TARDIS.

Donna groaned. She had held out hope if no one asked. Now Rory was following Amy. She put Zara in the baby seat on the jumpseat and followed them out. The cave was full of soldiers, gathered around some sort of operations area. Wasn't this just great? And oh, yeah, they were in a space cave.

She had said not a space cave.

"It's a myth," said the Doctor.

"Not anymore. It's real and we're going to find it," said River.

"Supposing it was real, which it certainly isn't, why would you want to find it?"

"Oh, does that mean you're staying?"

"I don't know, what do you want to find it for," said the Doctor.

"You mind just clueing the rest of us in?," asked Rory.

Father Phil spoke. "The Forever Fountain has been sought by races across the eons. It holds the secret to everlasting life."

"Wow," said Rory, "nothing could possibly go wrong with that."

"But it's just a story, yeah?," asked Amy.

"What makes you think it exists and it's actually here?," asked the Doctor.

"An artifact was excavated from the tomb of Great Queen Sardosa," said River. "It led us here."

"You mean the Great Mad Queen Sardosa," said the Doctor, he turned to the others from the TARDIS. "She wasted decades looking for the fountain in a futile attempt to extend her reign another thousand years."

"Her Majesty was closer than she thought," said River. "That's what I used the TARDIS sensors for." She handed the Doctor what looked to be some sort of handheld computer.

The Doctor looked at the readings. "That's impossible, though."

"I thought impossible was your specialty," said River.

"It's just a few miles from here," said the Doctor, "further down in the tunnels. Some narrow bits, might have to crawl a little..."

"Crawl?," exclaimed Donna.

"Why not just take the TARDIS?," asked Amy.

"Those energy levels worry me, wouldn't want the Old Girl to go off course."

"Sorry, crawl?," spat Donna.

The Doctor looked back at Donna. He was clearlt having another of those times where he was completely oblivious to what was right in front of him. Rory looked at Donna in sympathy.

"Baby!," she hissed.

The Doctor appraised her stomach. "Oh, right, I suppose you'd have to stay here," said the Doctor.

Donna didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"So, you're coming with us?," asked Father Phil.

"Suppose I am."

"We're going after the fountain?," said Amy. She looked at Rory with bright eyes. "Hunting for treasure. This is just like Indiana Jones."

"Right, because things always work out so well for everyone in Indiana Jones," said Rory.

"Come on, Rory. Live a little," said Amy.

"Doctor, a word," said Donna.

The Doctor walked over to Donna. "Yes?"

"This is a space cave."

"I suppose it is."

"I do not want to give birth in a space cave."

"You're not in labor. You're not even due for another month."

"It's just I specifically mentioned not wanting to give birth in a space cave and now we're in a space cave."

"You're not going to. I'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah, because that's how it always goes."

He leaned in. "Do you think I would really leave you in a space cave?"

"No, of course not-"

"Of course not." He kissed her. He looked at River and Father Phil. "Back in a sec!"

Donna followed the Doctor back in the TARDIS. He stopped by Zara in the baby seat. "You be good for Mummy. Daddy's going to be right back."

"Daddy, no go..." said Zara.

"It'll be fine, Zara." He kissed her on the forehead and looked up at Donna. "I'll be back. If there's a problem, you can just ring me, I'll turn right around."

"It's just I said not a space cave."

The Doctor smiled and gave her one of his big hugs. "You are not giving birth in a space cave."

"I had better not," said Donna.

The Doctor left. Donna sighed and looked down at Zara.

"You don't like when Daddy leaves, do you?," asked Donna.

"Donna?"

She looked up quite surprised to see Rory.

"Rory?"

"Look, are you sure you're okay on your own? You're feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Rory. I'm pregnant not helpless."

"Of course not," he took a breath. "If you want someone to stay back with you, I would."

Donna smiled. "You are really sweet, Rory, but I'm fine. I promise. You go on, impress Amy."

Rory rolled his eyes.

"And you know, make sure my husband doesn't kill himself."

"I'll try," said Rory.

Rory smiled and left. Donna turned back to Zara in her baby seat.

"Suppose it's just us then."

Donna heard Esther bark.

"And Esther!," she added for the dog's benefit. She looked back at Zara. "The girls on our own. We can look after ourselves, right?"

"Daddy..." said Zara.

"Well, Rory will take care of Daddy," Donna said with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Amy, Rory or River. If I did indeed own River I would have done something more interesting with her that the internet didn't guess like a year before it happened. Was that bitter enough? Anyway, seems like a while since I updated this and that outage didn't help... Right, back to topic. Thank you for the reads and reviews and follows and favorites. I love hearing what you all think. Thank you for reading this chapter and please let me know what you think.

* * *

><p>"So, where are we?," River asked brightly.<p>

The Doctor watched as River walked with the TARDIS blue diary. It threw him for a loop for a moment as he regained his composure. River had changed, the clerics had broken camp and now they were all headed down the tunnels to the place that the TARDIS had pinpointed as the energy source.

"The Cloisters? Have we done that?," asked River.

She looked at him awaiting an answer. He clearly needed to offer something other than that time she died. "No, uh, I saw you at a U2 concert in Milan," said the Doctor.

"U2?," asked River. "Really? Can't stand them."

"Can't stand them?," asked Amy.

Rory leaned in to the Doctor. "You saw her at the concert?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Did you happen to tell Donna?"

"Oh, early days then," said River, making a note and putting away the diary. "Well, for you at least."

"So, you know the Doctor in the future?," asked Amy. She looked back at the Doctor. "But you barely know her yet?"

"Something like that," said the Doctor, really not wanting to elaborate on how he was just playing along with her flirtation so River would die in the Library. Better just to keep that between he and Donna for now and possibly forever.

"At the beginning, how terribly exciting," said River.

The Doctor decided it was best to let that one go and took out the sonic screwdriver. "We're getting closer to those energy readings," he noted.

"So, the Mad Queen," said Rory.

"Yes?," asked River.

"What made her mad? Wasn't the fountain, was it?"

"She never found it," said the Doctor. "Though I suppose it was what drove her mad."

"Oh, the desire to extend time? To deny the inevitable?," asked River. "Suppose that might be something?"

The Doctor looked at River pointedly, not liking the smile on her face referring to something. "Anyway, what are you lot looking to do with the Fountain once you find it?"

"I have my reasons," said River.

Father Phil spoke up. "We intend to use it for the glory of the church."

"The Church? What? You're a Church?," asked Amy.

"Of course," said Father Phil.

"But what does a church need an army for?," asked Amy.

"Churches always have armies," said River. Father Phil shot her an unappreciative look.

Amy whispered to Rory. "Bit different from old Parson Brown, yeah?"

The Doctor leaned in to talk to Amy. "Religion has changed a bit since your era. Things have gotten a bit unwieldy. Not unlike the Middle Ages, really, just with rockets." The sonic beeped and the Doctor looked at it.

"What does it say?," asked River.

"You're the only expedition here?," the Doctor asked Father Phil.

All eyes were on the chief cleric.

"Of course," said Father Phil. He looked at River.

"What? When did I have time to do anything?," asked River.

"You don't trust her," said the Doctor.

"Of course I don't trust her," said Father Phil.

"Well, someone had better start telling me the truth right now!," said the Doctor.

"What's going on, Doctor?," asked Rory.

The Doctor thrust the sonic in Rory's face.

"Yeah, I've got no idea what that says. In fact, I have no idea how you're telling what that says."

"Oh, sorry. It says that we're not alone down here."

"Positions!," shouted Father Phil as the rest of the soldiers drew their weapons.

A laser shot rang out in the cave, nearly hitting Amy, but Rory pushed her out of the way, then River pushed them out of the way before the Doctor could push her out of the way. They looked at each other in a puddle of confusion and found cover behind one of the cavern's thick stalagmites. The clerics shot back and there was a frenzied exchange of fire. Whay the Doctor presumed were some sort of soldiers appeared in some kind of black armor that hid all their features.

The Doctor looked at Amy and Rory.

"Come on, time to get back to the TARDIS."

The Doctor ran, followed by Amy and Rory. He saw that somehow or other River had gotten one of the laser guns and was leading the rear, firing off shots at the mysterious soldiers who had just descended upon them like locusts. The no guns talk would have to wait preferably after they were the hell out of here and had dropped River off wherever she came from...

He was running, checking back to see Amy and Rory still with him, holding hands. Then he skidded to a halt as more soldiers teleported in front of him. Rory nearly smacked into him, trying to stop in time.

"Stop! In the name of Queen Sardosa! Drop your weapon!"

The Doctor heard a clatter as River's newly acquired weapon dropped.

"What? You mean the dead one?," the Doctor in disbelief.

* * *

><p>It had been hours and Donna knew it was time for Zara to go to sleep. She sat on the floor of the nursery with her playing with the Gallifreyan letter spheres. She had seen the Doctor do it, but still couldn't do it. She wondered if the TARDIS had Rosetta Stone for Gallifreyan or something, she couldn't quite stomach the idea of admitting to the Doctor she wanted lessons and was even more afraid that she wouldn't be able to learn it and then her babies would know more than she did. Actually, her baby already knew more than she did and the next was certain to be just the same. So, she held one up idly and praised Zara when she said something, even though she had no idea what it was.<p>

"Okay, story time," she said gathering up the spheres. "Shall I read one or tell one?"

"Tell!," said Zara.

Donna smiled and pulled Zara into her lap as she got on the rocking chair. "Well, once upon a time, there was this bride. Do you know what a bride is?"

"No..."

"Well, it's a woman who's about to get married. She wears a big white dress and generally drives everyone she knows mad with insane requests. So, she was walking down the aisle with everyone in the whole church looking at her and do you know what happened to her? She disappeared." Donna checked back to see Zara's captivated expression. "Well, all her friends and family wondered what sort of trick she had done and she found herself in a space ship."

"TARDIS?," asked Zara.

Donna sighed. So much for plot twists. "Yes, the TARDIS. Anyway, there was this skinny man in a suit there-"

"Daddy!," Zara said in glee, clapping her little hands together.

"Look, are you telling the story or am I?"

"Tell!"

"Anyway, this bride was livid and she thought the spaceman had kidnapped her and demanded that he take her back to the wedding before she missed it. So, he tried but the spaceship didn't take them to the right place and then she ran out because she was frightened and the alien chased after her and asked if maybe she couldn't phone them on her mobile. Well, the bride didn't have a mobile because do you know what she didn't have?"

Donna looked at Zara to see she had fallen asleep. She took after the Doctor like that, she could go from awake and talking to dead to the world in about thirty seconds flat.

"Pockets. She didn't have pockets," Donna said softly.

She picked up Zara and laid her down in the cot, arranging Pooh Bear and Mister Scallofrax to her side. She was ready to go play with Esther when she saw the dog was asleep in the corner on a dog bed that had just shown up. Donna sighed and went back through the door that led to the master bedroom.

She was just about to kick off her shoes when she saw a door she had never seen before on the other side of the bed, directly across the room from the door to Zara's nursery. She opened it and walked through.

"Oh, my God," she said softly.

It was the baby's nursery. It was very different from Zara's but still somehow Gallifreyan. The walls were almost the same coral rondelles as the control room, but somehow softer and brighter. The cot was round, made out of a soft old wood and there was a mobile of Gallifreyan birds- the Doctor had called them Flutterwings or something when Donna had seen them in a storybook- above it, the bedclothes were a nice peach, matching the rocking chair and rug that had appeared as well. Donna noted that there was already a partially stocked bookshelf with a clear canister full of the same Gallifreyan letter spheres as in Zara's room. She saw that the few items she had already managed to buy for the baby were in here as well. Some of the stuffed animals sat in the rocking chair and she saw the clothes she'd bought hanging in the open cupboard.

"Thank you," Donna said to the TARDIS. "I was starting to think you and Zara were plotting together to give her away."

The ship hummed softly to retort Donna. Donna's telepathy wasn't what it was in the short period she was a Time Lady, but she understood the point the ship was trying to get across.

"Oh, you had to get to know her!," said Donna. "She just hadn't spent enough time here yet!"

The ship hummed in an exasperated affirmation. Donna smiled and rubbed her protruding belly.

"See, Chloe, the TARDIS loves you," she said. "Off to bed then."

* * *

><p>The soldiers dragged the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River in front of their leader, a tall, gold colored man with big muscles, who held his helmet under his arm.<p>

"Well," he said with a booming voice that echoed in the cavern, "the Doctor and River Song." He looked back at his comrades. "When we get home, you can tell your children all about this. They won't believe you."

"Sorry," said the Doctor, "I think there's been a misunderstanding. My friends and I were just out for our usual constitutional and we seem to have gotten lost."

"Then why were you with the Clerics?"

"Uh, just asking directions, really."

"They said you were funny..." said the man.

"Fun never stops with him," said Rory.

The man looked at Rory and Amy. "Who are these?"

"Amy and Rory. They were lost as well," said the Doctor.

"Does anyone ever actually fall for your line of utter rubbish?," asked River.

The Doctor shrugged. "It's bound to work on someone eventually." He looked back at the man. "If I could just get to my jacket pocket so I could show you my identification, I'm actually an undercover cave inspector."

"I am Qal. You will help us find the Forever Fountain and then we may resurrect Great Queen Sardosa."

"Sorry, resurrect?," asked the Doctor. "You seriously expect me to resurrect someone?"

"Lock them up," said Qal. "Keep Song shackled."

They were led away to some sort of makeshift cell that the Doctor thought was reminiscent of Zara's playpen. The soldiers delivered on the promise of shackling River and they all made peace with their situation and sat.

Rory let out a big sigh. "Captured! Again!"

"All in a day's work," said River.

"What are they so worried about you for?," asked the Doctor.

She smiled. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Spoilers, I suppose."

"Precisely, sweetie."

"Could we dispense with the sweetie?," the Doctor snapped. "You summon me, drag me out here-"

"It's not as if you were kicking and screaming the entire way!," she snapped.

"And you got me in trouble with Donna! I don't like to be in trouble with Donna! Do you have any idea what she's like right now? Donna pregnant is like Donna-"

"Pregnant?," suggested Rory.

The Doctor ignored Rory's playing with his lack of a suitable simile. "She is hormonal beyond belief. She gets angry and tired and do you know who gets the brunt of it? Me!"

"That's hardly my doing," said River. "You've gotten the woman pregnant three times in how long?"

The Doctor's eyes widened.

"What do you mean three times?," asked Amy. "There's Zara and the baby."

River's face dropped. "Oh. I got you at the wrong time, then."

"Another spoiler?," asked the Doctor.

"Might say that."

Rory looked at the Doctor. "She's going to kill you, you know."

"Yeah, definitely."

The Doctor sat back, resting his head against the wall of the pen.

It had seemed so simple, just a little walk in some space caves to find a fountain of immortality...

Then his watched beeped.

No, no, not that, anything but that...

Then Rory's watch started, followed by Amy's mobile. She looked at it curiously.

"It says there's an alarm, but I never set one," said Amy.

"The TARDIS set it," the Doctor said grimly.

"What for?," asked Amy.

"It's a Time Baby alarm," said the Doctor.

"Time Baby alarm?," asked Rory.

"Wait," said Amy, "does that mean Donna's having the baby? Now?"

The Doctor nodded. "It's been brilliant knowing you all, really. I only mention it because once we get back to the TARDIS, Donna is going to murder me."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Amy, Rory or River. Thanks for the reads and the reviews, let me take the time to assure you I am going non-canon on the whole River Song issue, but you're not going to find out what she is in this story. And I'll try not to make it lame and unsatisfying when we do, but I don't know when that will be. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think!

* * *

><p>Donna woke up to find that Zara had climbed her way out of the cot again and was helping herself to a drink.<p>

"Good morning to you, as well, miss," said Donna.

She waited for Zara to finish and got the two of them dressed. She put on a grey maxi dress and did her hair, just in case they came back and she happened to see River Song again. Then she took Zara to have some breakfast.

"What do we do now, Zara?," asked Donna, half-heartedly munching on a piece of toast.

"Daddy?"

"Daddy must still be out. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Zara looked sad. The Doctor had told Donna that Zara didn't do separation from her well at all, she was starting to think that the same might be true of him. She was something of a Daddy's girl after all.

She hated doing this: waiting. Waiting for the Doctor to come back from some adventure. He would come back and tell her all sorts of stories of whatever they would have done and what would Donna have to tell? Of how she and Zara sat in the TARDIS sitting room and watched The Lion King for the one millionth time. Then he would probably want to watch it, then she would have to watch it again.

Funny thing was, Donna found it affecting her more today. Hormones she supposed. Everything had added import, like she swore the giraffe and baby giraffe were a good likeness of the Doctor and Zara. And why did the baby Simba have to be so cute? And why was she crying at this song? Zara was happily trying to sing along- singing wasn't her strong suit yet- and that only made Donna cry more. Zara looked back at her in concern.

"It's alright, sweetheart, Mummy's just being silly."

Zara turned back to the monitor and Donna decided to get her mind off the film. She thought about reading, but the pain in her back was so distracting and she decided she might as well lay back and she drifted off to sleep...

"Mummy!"

Donna woke up to find Zara pushing her frantically with big tears on her face. She looked at the movie.

"Oh, God," said Donna.

She hadn't skipped the chapter where Mufasa died because she had fallen asleep.

"Mufasa!," she said frantically.

"Oh, no, Mummy's sorry, sweetheart." She picked her up. "It's alright. It wasn't real. It's just a story."

Zara started a good all out wail and Donna teared up, trying to stifle her own wailing as she scooped Zara onto her lap.

"No, it's Mummy's fault, Mummy shouldn't have fallen asleep. Or Mummy should have put in Toy Story."

"Save Mufasa!," said Zara.

"What? How am I meant to do that?" She looked at the film. "What sort of rubbish lion kingdom is this anyway? You would think the wildebeests would try not to run over their king. You don't see people trying to run over Queen Elizabeth or even her stupid son," she said, rocking Zara against her.

"Mummy, save Mufasa..."

Donna felt a very specific twinge in her back and realized where she had felt that specific pain before.

About a year and a couple of months ago, when Zara had decided she was ready to come out.

What was with these two? Why couldn't ginger time babies announce themselves properly with a straightaway contraction? Why this game with the backache?

"Okay, sweetheart," said Donna, "let's ring Daddy. Okay?"

Donna got her mobile off the tea table as Zara watched her. She dialed the Doctor and got nothing but ringing.

"You are kidding me..."

* * *

><p>The Doctor once again looked at the cell he Amy, Rory and River were being held in.<p>

"Are you going to pace all day?," asked River.

"Are you going to sit there looking smug all day?," snapped the Doctor.

"Well, that was uncalled for," said River.

Rory leaned over to whisper to Amy. "I'm not seeing how this future girlfriend thing is working out at all."

"Donna can certainly handle this herself," said River. "It's just a baby."

The Doctor turned and gave her one of his best Oncoming Storm looks.

"I don't know who you are, but I know who Donna is and never, ever, speak of my wife like that again. What she does isn't easy, she puts giving another creature life above her own needs and wants, above her own life even."

"I understand. You respect her for it."

"No, I worship her for it and nothing, no stupid fountain, no army, no dead queen and certainly no meddling archaeologist is going to keep me from getting back to her."

The Doctor walked to the cell entrance again, trying to decipher the locking mechanism.

"So, that's what you think I am? Some meddling archaeologist?" She scoffed. "Some things never change... You don't even know me!"

The Doctor looked back at her. "No, I don't and right now, I don't care. I just have to get back to Donna."

The Doctor regretted the words slipping out. He waited for the universe to start collapsing but it didn't.

"Sorry," he followed up with. "That's just how it is."

"So, stuck in a cell," said Amy, eager to end the awkwardness. "Maybe we had better start thinking of a way to get our guards to open the door instead of you pacing and staring at it!"

"Oh, you are good," said River.

* * *

><p>It had been two hours. Donna had tried the Doctor more times than she could count. The contractions were getting closer together, still six minutes apart, but no telling when that would change. Then, much to Donna's chagrin, the baby had started proper contractions.<p>

Zara was watching her, noticing that she kept wincing and moaning when she couldn't help it.

"Oh, Zara, Mummy's fine, really." Donna cuddled her to try to comfort her. "This is just what happens. Granted, Mummy wanted it to happen on Earth, but this is how you get babies."

Zara started sobbing.

"Oh, sweetheart, come on. It's going to be alright." Donna sighed. One thing for it. She picked up her mobile and gave Zara a kiss. "We're going to call Uncle Ianto, yeah?"

"Ianto?," Zara asked hopefully.

* * *

><p>"Who opened the damn door?," shouted Jack as he faced down the Weevil in the new Torchwood hub. Martha screamed as it bit her hand and Jack pulled it off her, setting it loose again.<p>

"It's not my fault," said Mickey. "Those doors short-circuited!"

"I didn't program them," said Ianto. "Who was that? I think it was you, Mickey."

"Oh, bloody hell," said Gwen, shooting the weevil with a tranquilizer dart causing it to fall to the floor. She looked squarely at Mickey. "If you two spent half as much time catching it as you did bickering, we could have been through this much sooner."

Martha sighed, putting a tea towel on her bleeding hand. "You've got about two minutes to get that thing in its cage."

Jack and Mickey grabbed the weevil. Ianto's mobile rang.

He looked at the caller identification with a smile. "Torchwood Time Baby Services division."

"I am going to murder that stupid Martian!," said Donna, Zara sitting next to her chewing a banana.

"What's going on?"

"Well, where to start, Ianto? My husband went off with some tart archaeologist who is probably his girlfriend in the future, but I have to be nice to her anyway to look for some stupid fountain and he won't answer his mobile!"

"Oh," said Ianto, not quite understanding much of that.

Martha walked up to Ianto. "What's going on?"

Ianto raised his finger to silence Martha as Donna went on.

"And now I'm in labor. In a space cave! I said not a space cave!"

"Sorry, you're in labor?," asked Ianto.

"Wait, now?," asked Martha. "We agreed on April sixteenth, I thought."

"Is that Martha?," asked Donna. "Tell her I would gladly stick with April sixteenth but I'm stuck in the bloody future! She should count herself lucky that the Doctor never fell for her because once he does your life is all Time Beetles and memory wipes and kidnappers and crazy tart girlfriends!"

Ianto paused. "I'm not telling her that."

"So, she's having the baby now?," asked Gwen.

"Donna, what would you like me to do?," asked Ianto.

"Has your boyfriend got his whatchamacalit vortex thingy?"

"The vortex manipulator?," prodded Ianto.

"You know what, you try to think of technical terms for made up devices while a baby giraffe wants to come out of your vagina, okay?"

Jack and Mickey came in. Jack saw the gathering around Ianto and the mobile.

"What's going on?," asked Jack.

"Donna's having the baby," said Gwen.

"Well, get the keys to the Land Rover," said Jack.

"They're not here," said Martha.

"Is that Jack?," asked Donna. "Ask him if he's interested in a tart archaeologist who sometimes dresses up like the Stig."

Ianto paused. "I'm actually going to ask that one." He looked at Jack. "Are you at all interested in a tart archaeologist who sometimes dresses up like the Stig?"

"What?," asked Jack. "Give me the phone."

Jack took the phone. "Hello, beautiful. How's our Time Baby?," he said in his best flirting voice.

"Don't sweet talk me, sunshine! Look, I've got coordinates, can you get here? I need Martha."

"Where's the Doctor?"

"Who bloody knows?"

"If I come, can I be a godfather?"

"Are you kidding me right now?," asked Donna.

"You let Ianto be Zara's godfather," said Jack.

"Are you still on that?," asked Ianto.

"I thought he was my husband's brother and he is very nice, which you should appreciate more!," said Donna.

"Am I in the running at least?," asked Jack.

"Really, Jack?," hissed Martha.

Jack sighed. "Okay, give me the coordinates. I'll bring Martha."

"And Ianto," said Donna.

"What? Why Ianto?"

"I need someone to deliver my baby, that's Martha, someone to find my idiot husband, that's you and someone to watch Zara, that's Ianto."

"Anything else?," asked Jack. "Caviar? Champagne?"

"You know, I'm getting a lot of attitude from someone who wants to be a godfather!"

Jack sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm coming."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Martha, Amy, Rory, River, Ianto or Jack. Proof I don't own Jack? Miracle Day, people. Anyway, thanks for the reads and reviews and favorites and follows. I hope this is fun for you. Enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think!

* * *

><p>Donna sat with Zara in the jumpseat of the console room waiting for Jack, Martha and Ianto to show up. By now, Esther had sensed something was up and had come to keep an eye on Donna.<p>

Of course Donna was also secretly hoping that the door would fling open and the Doctor would come in, ready with an apology and saying that River Song had run off with one of the soldiers or something.

"I want Daddy..."

"I know, sweetheart, I want Daddy, too. He'll be back soon enough though."

There was a knock at the door and Donna let out a deep sigh, knowing the Doctor would have just used the key. She got up and walked over, opening it to reveal Martha, Jack and Ianto.

"Torchwood Time Baby Services Division reporting for duty," Jack said with a salute.

"Thank God," said Donna, surprised those words had escaped her mouth while looking at Jack Harkness. Whatever, it was a bloody emergency.

The three came in.

"Feeling alright?," asked Martha.

"Just the usual. They're six minutes apart or so."

"Hi, Zara," said Ianto, walking over to the jump seat. "How are you?"

"I want Daddy."

"Right. Where is Daddy?," asked Jack.

"He went with Amy and Rory and a bunch of soldiers and a tart archaeologist to find some Forever Fountain," said Donna.

"What? The one Mad Queen Sardosa was looking for? It's real?," asked Jack.

"How should I know? There were some sort of energy readings he was following, I haven't touched the scanner."

Jack hopped over to look at the TARDIS scanners. "Yeah, that is something. No wonder he couldn't resist."

"What is it?," asked Ianto, now holding Zara.

"The fountain is supposed to be a source of immortality." Jack shrugged. "What you need for that is a huge energy source and that's what we have here, probably why you can't reach the Doctor, he must be close to it. Good news is I only see one way to it, I'll go down, find the Doctor and drag him back by his ear if I have to."

"Come on, Donna," said Martha, "Jack has this. Let's just go to the clinic and get you sorted."

"Right, there's just one other thing," said Donna.

"What?," asked Jack.

"The tart archaeologist, her name is River Song." Donna took a breath. "She has to make it through today or there's no point in any of this. It's a wibbly wobbly timey wimey mess."

Jack nodded. "Understood."

* * *

><p>Having developed a plan, Rory had one reservation on it. Well, several really, but one in particular.<p>

"Why do I have to be the one to yell?," asked Rory.

"Because you have that face," said Amy.

Rory sighed and leaned towards the entrance. "Help! Help! Doctor Song is going to kill the Doctor!"

River made a show of using her shackles to ring the Doctor's neck. A little too much of a show the Doctor thought to himself, but it appeared to be working as the guards arrived, flinging open the door and pulling River away from him.

Amy nodded to Rory and they headed out. The guards released the Doctor from River's grip and he landed on the ground again, realizing that he would have to get her out of here as well.

Great.

She looked at him as if she couldn't work out what he was doing for a second, then rolled her eyes. Then she kissed one of the guards.

What?

The guard stood back, fazed, then he began snogging the other guard.

What? Jack wasn't even here...

"Well," said River, "that's never happened before."

"What was that?," the Doctor demanded.

"Hallucinogenic lipstick."

"What? Seriously?"

"Aren't you going to help me out of these?," she said holding the shackles out plaintively.

The Doctor spotted his sonic screwdriver in the back pocket of one of the very distracted guards and took it, quickly undoing River's shackles.

"Amy and Rory have gotten a pretty good lead on us," said the Doctor as they ran.

"This way!," shouted River.

The Doctor heard the clatter of the approaching guards and followed River.

"You're going further down!," he barked, now wondering if he had miscalculated in freeing her. It now seemed as if she could have gotten out herself. "This way!"

The Doctor ran into the next opening and saw only a wall. He turned back around.

"It's a dead end," he said to River. "Back out!"

She turned and then the rock wall slid shut.

"What?," exclaimed the Doctor. He took out the sonic scredriver and scanned the door. "No, no, that's just not fair."

"It's a booby trap," said River.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"What? Do you think I take pleasure in being right? Believe me, I would like nothing better than to get you back to Donna and end this miserable failure of an expedition."

"Well, that makes two of us!" He slid to the floor. "Donna's going to kill me and don't tell me how she can handle it!"

"Donna can handle anything," she said.

That was unexpected...

"I need to be there," said the Doctor. "She doesn't deserve to be alone."

* * *

><p>Rory was starting to think he actually knew where he was going in the cave, then wondered if there was such a thing as cave hypnosis. Just grey, grey and more grey and more rocks.<p>

"Rory, wait!," said Amy panting, bringing their progress to a halt.

"What?," he asked.

"We lost River and the Doctor!," she said.

"We have to get back to the TARDIS," said Rory.

"But we need the Doctor," she said.

"The Doctor can take care of himself and I'm starting to think Professor Song can as well," said Rory. "Donna, however, is having a baby with no help."

"What? You're going to deliver a Time Baby?," asked Amy.

"I'm a nurse, Amy!," said Rory. "Although, I hadn't thought about it being a Time Baby. It should be the same, right? I mean, the Doctor's a mammal, isn't he?"

Amy paused. "I don't know. His hands are really cold."

"What if there's an egg or something? Or it bursts out of her stomach?"

"What? Like in Alien? Don't be stupid."

"I'm not trying to be stupid! I just don't know how to deliver a Time Baby!"

"A minute ago you did!"

"A lot has come to light since then!"

They heard the approaching clamor of the soldiers and looked at each other.

"Run," they said in sync and started back up the tunnel.

* * *

><p>Ianto had put on his best uncle face for Zara. He managed to make her lunch in the TARDIS kitchen, preparing the items the ship seemed to throw out at him almost. Then he had taken her back to the sitting room and started Toy Story since one of Donna's last instructions had been to not put in anything where animals died. He was settling in nicely with Zara, who was just dozing off, when he looked up from the film to see Martha in the doorway of the sitting room. She had a towel over her hand.<p>

"What is it?"

"We may have a problem," said Martha. She took the towel off to reveal an infected mess of a hand, swollen to almost three times its size. "I think the Weevil gave me some sort of infection."

"My God, that's nasty. Does the TARDIS have medication for it?"

"Yes, and I already took it, but we have a bigger problem. I can't deliver the baby like this."

"Then what?"

Martha looked pointedly at Ianto.

"Oh, no, please no," he said.

"Should we ask Zara then? Maybe Esther?"

"Dogs have babies all the time."

"Ianto!"

He took a deep breath. "Would it involve putting my hands in Donna's..."

"Well, we need to know how dilated her cervix is!"

"Oh, God, no."

"It's easy, just put a finger up there-"

"I am not putting my finger up there!" He motioned at Martha's unscathed hand. "Use the other one!"

"I can't! What if I have some Weevil infection?"

"Well, this is just flipping brilliant!," said Donna.

Ianto and Martha turned to see Donna, leaning against the wall of the TARDIS corridor.

"My choices are the woman with the weird alien infection and the bloke who's too squeamish to look at my vagina! Maybe I should have had Jack stay, I bet he's never seen genitalia that frightened him!"

"I'm sorry, Donna," said Ianto. "I just, oh, my God..."

Donna gave him a pat on the shoulder. "It's okay, you're a bloke. You can't help yourself." She looked at Martha. "What the hell is a Weevil?"

"It's this alien that lives in the sewers in Cardiff..." Martha said apologetically.

Donna cast her a look. "Okay, you are definitely keeping that hand away from my vagina." She looked back at Ianto. "You had better hope Jack finds my husband or get over your shyness in a hurry. As a warning, I haven't gotten a bikini wax in a while. That whole area's been a bit sensitive."

"Oh, God," said Ianto, growing pale.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: I DO NOT own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna or any of the characters I have clearly taken from canon and I don't know, un-canonized them? Is that a thing? Thanks for the reads and reviews and the follows. I know it's been a while since I updated, but I had a crazy work schedule and lots of other stuff. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

* * *

><p>The Doctor scanned the door yet again with the sonic screwdriver. He and ProfessorDoctor/Whatever Song had been in here for over an hour. He had scanned every square inch of the cell, trying to figure out how to get out and she just sat there! As if she was waiting for her hairdresser!

River glared at him again. "How long are you going to keep doing that?" She was awfully tetchy. The Doctor had never gone for tetchy. Okay, maybe Donna was tetchy sometimes, but she usually had a reason. Now, that he thought of it, he realized he was usually the reason.

"Until it opens!," was his rebuttal. "At least I'm trying something!"

"Well, if you're trying to annoy me, you're succeeding quite well, sweetie."

There was a knock on the other side of the door.

"Hello! Anybody home?"

The Doctor struggled to place the voice. No, it was impossible. "Jack? Jack, is that you?"

"Who else would it be?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hold on, I think I found the panel." There was a brief pause, they heard sparks and a scream from Jack.

"Jack! Are you alright?"

There was a delay and Jack finally said, "I'm fine, just died for a minute!"

The rock door slid open. The Doctor and River quickly hurried out. Jack appraised River.

"Hello," he said with a smile, "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Doctor River Song."

"So, what's a girl like you doing in a cave like this?"

"Looking for a boy like you," she said with a smirk.

"Oh, and now that you found me what are you going to do with me?"

"Jack!," shouted the Doctor. "Focus! How did you get here?"

Jack pointed to the vortex manipulator on his wrist. "Brought Martha and Ianto too."

The Doctor sighed in relief. "So, Donna's alright then?"

"Yeah, fine except she's angry as hell at you." Jack seemed to take some glee in that.

"We have to get back to the TARDIS," said the Doctor.

"What about the fountain?," asked River.

"I don't care about the bloody fountain!," shouted the Doctor.

"Yeah, immortality's overrated," said Jack.

"Speak for yourself," said River. "I have to get to that fountain!"

"Why?," said the Doctor in exasperation.

"Fine," said River stiffening. "You go your way. I'll go mine."

River started down, just as the Doctor's mouth opened, he was surprised to see Jack's hand grabbing River's wrist.

"Don't start something you're not willing to finish," River said saucily.

"I always finish what I start," said Jack, "but I can't let you go down there. There's about a couple hundred armed men."

"I always do like a party."

"You can't just go around snogging people to solve problems!," the Doctor protested. "Well, almost never."

"Okay, we're going back to the TARDIS now," said Jack. Suddenly, he grabbed River and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!," River protested.

The Doctor looked in shock at Jack who just nodded.

"Allons-y!," said the Doctor.

River groaned. "Don't you ever get sick of catchphrases?"

"Not so far," said the Doctor, starting back up the path.

"So," said Jack, "where am I in the running for godfather?"

* * *

><p>Ianto, Martha and Donna were all in the TARDIS clinic as they got closer to the moment of decision. Ianto sat in a chair on the far side of the room. Martha tried to stay by Donna, doing what little she could to help. To tell the truth, there wasn't much to be done at the moment. Donna was in labor, walking around, occasionally bending over the clinic bed to wait out a contraction. Donna screamed, feeling another contraction. The TARDIS for her part, kept trying to helping, providing warm compresses, which Donna appreciated, but she didn't appreciate some of the other items. There was a birthing pool that showed up for a while resulting in a stream of profanity from Donna, saying she was not about to get naked and have her baby in a wading pool! There were several birthing balls, which Donna never understood the use of and thus kept kicking away. She could only hope the TARDIS had no way to make a film of the occasion or they would really have words. No bloody photography until her hair was brushed and her legs were closed! That was the policy.<p>

During Zara's birth, she had eschewed the epidural then wondered why the hell she had done that, but her preferred method of relief was to lean on the Doctor and let him hold her as she stretched. She found herself quite proud of the accomplishment.

She had told the Doctor, not remembering that she had saved the universe, that Zara was the greatest thing she had ever done. His reply, "Well... she's definitely up there" had perplexed her, only to be fully understood later. She weighed them now: Zara, universe.

Well, that really was no competition, was it? Zara was her universe. So was the new baby.

She found herself caught unaware as she pondered that by her latest contraction. She groaned loudly.

"Was that stronger than before?," asked Martha.

Donna nodded. "Yeah."

Martha sighed. "Ianto, you need to look in there."

"In there!," Donna said derisively.

"I'm not looking in there," said Ianto.

"Ianto, we have no idea how dilated Donna is and what if she's torn something?"

"Torn something!," Ianto shouted in shock. "Like what?"

"Oh, what do you think?," snapped Donna.

"I'm sure the TARDIS has something to fix it," said Martha.

Donna pointed at Ianto. "God help you if I need stitches!"

"I'm not doing stitches!" He continued pacing, then suddenly spotted a paper bag on the counter that must have just appeared. He picked it up off the counter and started breathing into it.

"This is just flipping brilliant," growled Donna. "I wish I had realized how well organized things were last time."

Suddenly, the door to the clinic. Amy and Rory were out of breath.

"It is really dodgy out there!," said Rory.

"There are soldiers everywhere," said Amy.

"Where's the Doctor?," asked Martha.

"We lost him somewhere in the tunnels," said Rory.

"I am going to bloody murder him," said Donna. She had a realization. She looked up at Rory. "Rory! You're a nurse!"

"Yeah?"

"You're a nurse!," Martha exclaimed joyfully.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, God bless you!," said Ianto, throwing his arms around Rory. Rory looked at him in stunned confusion.

"Uh, thank you," said Rory.

"Okay, Ianto, you're virtue is safe. You're out. Rory's in," said Donna.

"Gladly!," said Ianto, heading out of the room. "I need a drink."

Martha looked at Rory. "We need to see how dilated Donna is and make certain she won't tear."

"Aren't you a doctor?," asked Rory.

Donna groaned. "Why does everyone keep trying to pawn me off on the next sucker?"

Martha held her hand out for Rory's inspection.

"That doesn't look good," said Rory.

"Not really," said Martha.

"Um, right, Time Babies." He leaned into Martha. "This is just like a mammal, right?"

Martha was going to speak when Donna shouted. "Of course the baby's a mammal! Does Zara look like a lizard to you?"

"It's a cinch," said Martha.

"Says the woman not pushing it out!" She glowered. "I'm going to wait until you have a baby, show up and say how easy it is. I have a time machine, I'll get there."

"Okay," said Rory, eager to diffuse the tension, "let's get started. Donna, you should lie down. Amy, help me find some gloves and things..."

"What? I'm helping?," Amy asked in surprise.

"Yes!," said Rory. "You're helping! We don't have much choice. Come on! Start looking!"

"Right," said Amy, unable to think of a good refusal.

Donna sighed as Martha helped her ease onto the bed with one hand and Rory and Amy began the search for supplies, aided by the TARDIS. She was relieved: as least Rory knew what he was doing.

She still wanted the Doctor, though.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor or Donna. Thank you for reading and following and favoriting and for all the reviews! I loved hearing from everyone! Please enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think of it!

* * *

><p>"Put me down!, River shouted as she punched at Jack.<p>

"Come on, sweetheart. Be a good girl and I'll give you a treat later," said Jack.

They had thankfully gotten out of the last tunnel and back to where the Doctor had originally landed the TARDIS. The Doctor took out his key and opened the door to discover that River had some competition for best tantrum.

"Hello, Zara!," said the Doctor.

Jack put River down after the Doctor had safely deadlocked the TARDIS from the inside and set them in the Vortex.

Zara stood in the console room, pudgy toddler arms crossed, boring holes into the Doctor.

"Where did you go?," shouted Zara.

"Now you're in for it," said Jack.

"Mummy is sick!"

"No, no, no, Mummy's not sick," said the Doctor. "You see, all that's happened is that she's-"

"Mufasa DIED!," Zara screamed in a tone that the Doctor didn't know Zara was able to achieve yet.

"Mufasa died?," asked the Doctor.

"Died!"

The Doctor approached Zara and picked her up as she wriggled against him, unwilling to give up her grudge. "Daddy's sorry, Zara..."

"Bad Daddy!"

"Yes, I can't disagree. Very bad Daddy."

She pointed at River. "Bad tart!"

Jack tried to hide his snicker. River sighed. "Oh, how I love to see a beginning."

Ianto came out. He breathed a sigh of relief at spotting Zara in the Doctor's arms. He seemed out of breath.

"She ran," he panted, pointing at Zara, "and I ended up in a tanning salon!"

"Oh, nearly forgot I had that," said the Doctor.

"Why was there a Picasso in it?," asked Ianto.

"Oh," said the Doctor, "I really ought to return that. Where's Donna?"

Just then Esther caught up with Ianto. She spotted River and began barking, paws coming up off the console room floor as she did.

"Oh, beginnings," said River with a sigh.

"Hush, Esther!," said the Doctor.

The Jack Russell terrier quieted, tilted her head as if she were considering the Doctor's command and then turned to River to resume her barking.

"Donna's in the clinic," said Ianto.

"Has she had the baby?"

"There was talk of pushing or something..."

"Pushing!" The Doctor started a mad dash for the clinic.

"River Song, Ianto Jones," said Jack.

"Hello," she said sticking a hand out.

"Oh, are you the tart archaeologist who sometimes dresses like the Stig?"

There was a pause, even Jack was awkwardly silent.

"Sorry," Ianto finally said. "I had a Scotch earlier. It may have been a Scotch. I don't know. I couldn't read the label. I thought I was going to have to deliver a baby."

There was another suitably awkward pause.

"So," said River, "I see Donna's told you all about me."

* * *

><p>The Doctor ran into the clinic where he found the second ginger who was going to yell at him.<p>

Third, if he was counting that patch on Esther's back.

"You stupid spaceman!," shouted Donna as soon as the door slid open.

Martha, Amy and Rory turned to see the Doctor.

"About time," said Martha.

He looked at her hand. "What happened to you?"

"Come here!" said Donna.

The Doctor walked over. Donna grabbed his necktie.

"What did I say? What is the one bloody thing I said?"

"Donna, you're sort of holding that a bit tight..."

"I said NOT A SPACE CAVE!," Donna screamed, pulling the tie even tighter.

"You do still realize I am holding our firstborn," said the Doctor.

"That's all I wanted! To not have a Time Baby in a space cave! Is that so much to ask?"

"No, no, of course not," said the Doctor.

Donna looked up to realize that Ianto, Jack and River were now standing in the doorway. Donna released her grip on the Doctor's tie. "You," she said to River.

River sighed, approaching Donna as if heading for an execution. She got dangerously within arm's reach of Donna.

"Yes, sweetie?"

Then it came.

The slap.

"Stop it with the sweetie already!," screamed Donna. "You think you're clever! We get it! And what the hell did you drag us here for?"

"I'm sorry, I meant to get you later," said River. "I didn't see this coming."

"Oh, I thought you knew everything 'Miss I'm From the Future!'."

River shook her head. "I don't know everything, Donna."

"Sorry," said Rory, "I hate to interrupt... whatever this... interaction is, but we should probably push some more."

"Oh, right!," snapped Donna. "Because I had completely forgotten about the calf I'm trying to get out of my vagina! Thank you for reminding me!"

Rory blushed slightly. He hadn't had any patients like Donna in Leadworth. He noticed a slight smile on River's face as she looked at him, which she quickly tried to eradicate when she realized Rory was looking at her.

"Mummy..." whined Zara.

"Oh, darling," said Donna, taking her little hand in hers. "Everything will be alright, you'll see. You should go."

"No!," Zara protested.

"No," said the Doctor, "with your psychic link, all she senses right now is your distress. It'll be better if she sees you're alright."

"When were you going to share that bit of information?," snapped Donna.

"I've got her," said Jack, taking Zara from the Doctor.

"Is everyone just going to stand here?," shouted Donna.

"Nothing good on TV," Jack said smiling.

Ianto motioned at the doorway. "I'm actually going to look the other way," he said, turning around. "Let me know what happens."

"How much did you drink?," asked Martha.

"Enough."

"Okay, then," said Rory. "Doctor, you with Donna. If you and Amy could just please hold her legs."

Donna sighed. "I didn't mean to kick you. I said I was sorry."

"Well, I like my teeth," said Rory. He caught a smile from Amy as he looked up at Donna. "In your own time."

The Doctor looked at Donna. "Donna."

"Yeah?," she said, ready for a reason to yell at him again.

He swallowed. "I didn't get to tell you with Zara because I was afraid it would make you remember, but you are the most important woman in the universe to me."

"For now," she said softly.

He shook his head. "No, not just now. Always. Because you make me happy, so unbelievably happy and you're the only one who could have done it."

Donna drifted her hand against his cheek. She was surprised he didn't flinch. He kissed her and held his hand.

"I love you," whispered Donna. "But I'm still about to tell you how much I hate you."

The Doctor nodded. "I'm good with that."

The onslaught of insults began and even Jack decided to cover Zara's ears for a bit.

"And the giant insects!," Donna screamed, panting between contractions. "What the hell about me attracts giant insects?"

"I think you're beautiful," said the Doctor.

"Well, I think you're an idiot!" Donna screamed again.

"We're close," said Rory. "I can see the head."

"Oh, good! The fun part!," said Donna. She gripped the Doctor's hand tighter. She tried to ignore the fact that there was a small crowd waiting to see a Time Baby come out that included her potential replacement.

She closed her eyes, feeling the Doctor's long, slender fingers interlaced with hers. Cool against her skin. She opened her eyes back up, looking into his deep brown ones. She could see everything in those eyes, the entire universe. She loved that he had given Zara those eyes, she was so glad that Zara had the Doctor to help her see the universe the way he did. She was glad that he was the father of her children.

Then she looked in his eyes and realized she saw herself reflected in them.

Donna had never been one to believe in all consuming, eternal, romantic love. Relationships ended when you broke up or when someone died. These were the only options. The Doctor had a wife before her, loved others and maybe, after she was gone, there would be another. Which was fine, it had to be, she didn't want him to suffer being alone as he had before she started travelling with him, though seriously, she didn't see how this River Song this was supposed to happen.

She didn't like to think about it, but it was fine. Nothing really lasted forever.

Yet, here, staring in his eyes, she could believe in forever.

So, she took a breath and she pushed and let out a yelp of exasperation.

Then heard crying.

"That's the head," announced Rory. He looked to Amy. "Blankets, please."

"I've got it," said River.

That surprised Donna a little as River handed Rory the soft pink blanket the TARDIS had provided.

"One more and she's here," Rory said to Donna.

Donna nodded. She gripped the Doctor's hand tightly again and pushed one last time.

"And here she is!," said Rory, wrapping up the baby and cleaning her off.

Rory placed the baby in Donna's arms.

"Hi, Chloe," Donna said softly.

The Doctor took a breath. "You really can't call her that."

Donna gritted her teeth and smiled at her new baby. "You just got here a half hour ago, sunshine. I'm calling her what I like."

The Doctor sighed and looked at the baby. Gorgeous, ginger, taking after Donna, of course. She seemed to wriggle uncontrollably, wanting out of her blanket. Something was different.

"She's got your eyes!," the Doctor said, elated.

Donna realized he was right. "Well, maybe they'll change..."

"No, no, no! They're perfect! Look, Zara, she's got Mummy's eyes!"

Jack had brought Zara over. She was peering over at the baby suspiciously.

"Baby out?," she asked.

"Yes," said Donna. "Baby out."

"And way to go, Rory!," said Amy, giving him a friendly punch in the arm. "Well done, delivering your first Time Baby and all."

"Thanks," said Rory.

Amy looked back at Donna and the baby, as everyone gathered around to look at the new Ginger Time Baby.

River slid out the clinic door. Donna's gaze trailed her for a moment, then looked back down at Chloe.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna or anyone else. Thanks for the reads and the reviews, I do love hearing from you. Please enjoy this concluding chapter and let me know what you think.

Also, I made reference to something that happened in Scandal In The Library if you can't figure it out later.

* * *

><p>There was nothing quite like realizing you were a mum for the first time.<p>

Though Donna supposed that realizing you were mum to two was giving it a very close, very lovely second.

That was the adjective she could think of to best describe Chloe: lovely. She was already starting to see bits of her personality, ways that she was different than Zara. For one thing, other than that first bit of crying, she was quiet, which made Donna wonder where the hell she came from for a bit. It had to be somewhere on the Doctor's side of the family. Where Zara demanded nursing and attention, Chloe took things as they came. She was observant, Donna knew that already. She was already moving her head to have a look around, trying to work out who all these people were to her and what was going on with this ship? The TARDIS had already provided Chloe with low, quiet hums and a soft display of light as greeting. Chloe had almost seemed startled, but certainly not upset.

They were in the big bed. The Doctor was asleep on his side, as if he had any right to be tired. She would get him for it later, preferably by giving Zara sweets and locking herself in the bathroom and soaking in the tub for the duration of the sugar rush and having the TARDIS turn up the music so she could drown out repeated whining of "Do-nna..." Donna had put a Moses basket in the middle, but for now she held Chloe in her arms, loving the new, wriggling feel of the baby, taking in her scent.

"Mummy?"

Donna looked in the doorway of the nursery to see Zara standing in it, with big, sad eyes as she watched Donna rocking the new baby.

"Sweetheart, come here..."

Zara approached. Donna shifted the baby to one side and motioned for Zara to come next to her, pushing the basket further over. She climbed up.

"What's wrong?," asked Donna. "Have a bad dream?"

Zara looked at Chloe.

"Ah," said Donna.

"Baby staying?"

Donna smiled. "What? You don't want to keep her?"

"No."

Donna feigned shock. "You don't think she would be any fun?"

"No."

"But you started out like this," said Donna, "with tiny feet and tiny little hands. See?" Donna unwrapped a bit of the blanket to show them to Zara as the little girl reached out to touch them. "I know she's tiny and doesn't seem like she'll do much, but maybe if we kept her around, you might be able to play with her someday. You're so clever, Zara, I bet you could teach her so much."

Donna realized the Doctor had pushed the Moses basket aside and was staring at her.

"What are you looking at?"

"My ginger girls." He sat up, pulling Zara against him to look at Chloe. "I think we ought to give her a chance, Zara. We don't even have anyone to pawn her off to..."

"Doctor..." said Donna.

He smiled. "Besides, she's grown in Mummy all this time and Mummy has grown quite attached to her, just as she did you. If we took Chloe away, it would be just like taking you away, wouldn't it?"

Zara didn't seem to care for the comparison or the logic. She did however have to relent to her mummy's pleading expression.

"Keep baby," she said reluctantly.

Donna let out a dramatic sigh and smiled. "Well, that is a relief."

"Quite," agreed the Doctor.

* * *

><p>Something else about Chloe.<p>

She liked to walk.

In fact, she started crying and was about to disturb Zara when Donna decided to take her for a walk around the TARDIS as the others slept. Donna hoped the ship would keep her from waking the others- Ianto in particular seemed as if he needed a good night's rest- and the ship lowered the lights along their path, eventually leading them to the console room.

Where Donna was quite surprised to see River Song at the controls.

"What are you doing?," demanded Donna.

"Don't worry. I'll be out of your hair soon."

"Stop pushing things!"

"It's alright. We've landed."

"We've landed?" Donna hadn't heard the TARDIS make so much as a peep.

"We certainly have."

River walked out the doors and Donna followed her.

There was a long tunnel, thunder and lightning Donna could see through the narrow windows and was that a cell?

"What the hell is this place?," asked Donna.

"Home sweet home," said River, walking in the cell. She took her diary out of her pocket and put it on the bed. "Lovely to visit again. It certainly wasn't a boring trip."

Donna looked around, trying to figure the place out.

"You know," said River, "your family worships the ground you walk on. You're lucky in that."

"What do you know about my family?," asked Donna. "Who are you?"

"Someone who could never live up to you, which I suppose you must have known for quite a while."

Donna's worst nightmare confirmed. "You and the Doctor..."

"No." She laughed.

"What? Now we're supposed to be friends or something?"

"No," said River. "That's never going to happen."

"Donna!"

"There's something you're not telling me."

The Doctor and Jack emerged from the TARDIS.

"Why did you land the TARDIS?," the Doctor asked Donna.

"I didn't," said Donna.

"Are we in a Stormcage?," asked Jack.

"What's a Stormcage?," asked Donna.

"It's a prison," said the Doctor. He looked at River. "You're in prison. What are you in prison for?"

"She's in prison!," exclaimed Donna. She clutched Chloe. "I just walked my baby into a prison..."

"I killed a man," said River.

The Doctor, Donna and Jack all froze.

"The greatest man I've ever known," said River.

"Okay, we're going now," said Donna. "Going!"

"Right," said the Doctor, turning to follow. "Uh, see you next time..."

Jack grinned at River, she grinned back. "Until next time," said Jack.

"Not scared off?," asked River.

"I dare you," said Jack.

River watched as the TARDIS began to disappear.

Simultaneously, a glowing form appeared next to it and seemed to be looking at the TARDIS. River jumped up from her cot to take a closer look.

The form spoke in a disembodied female tone. "Doctor! Doctor, stop!"

The TARDIS disappeared completely.

"It's you, isn't it?," River said to the figure.

The figure turned to see River.

"Who are you?," the figure asked.

River couldn't make out any features on the figure, but she had a suspicion.

"It is you," she said. "You stupid bint."

"Who are you?," it repeated, sounding more anxious.

"You don't know me, but we're meeting soon."

The figure disappeared and River walked back to her cot, took out her diary and added the glowing form to the latest entry.

* * *

><p>Martha was slightly shocked that Donna was going through the drawers in her room as Chloe laid in the sling. Zara was bouncing on Martha's bed and seemed to think the whole thing was quite funny.<p>

"It's a blue book," said Donna. "I left it in here. In your night table! You didn't see it at the Medusa Cascade?"

"No," said Martha. "I haven't seen anything like that. What is it?"

"I put it in here in case I needed to know what that woman was up to..." said Donna. She looked at the ceiling of the TARDIS. "And I need to know!"

"I've never seen a blue book," said Martha. "Wait. Do you mean the one Doctor Song was holding?"

"Yes, well, no, not that one, the same one just from later."

"Donna..." said Martha. She grabbed Zara to still her and the jumping stopped. "Donna, what are you trying to tell me? You had River Song's diary, but from later? You mean like the future?"

Donna groaned.

"Are you allowed to do that?," asked Martha.

"Donna!," they heard the Doctor call.

Donna looked squarely at Martha. "We never had this conversation."

Before Martha could respond, the Doctor entered.

"Oh, good! There you are! Listen, I thought we'd drop the Torchwood lot off in Cardiff and then we would drop Amy and Rory in Leadworth."

"Yeah," said Donna, "sounds great."

The Doctor plucked Zara up off the bed and gave her a kiss. "Then to London!"

"London!," shouted Zara.

"Oi, don't get too excited... We still have to see your gran..."

The Doctor carried Zara off. Donna followed, then Martha.

* * *

><p>Rory looked at Amy chatting with Jack and Ianto, wondering if this trip had been a total waste. Now, it was over. Back to normal life. Back to Leadworth and Amy would probably be back to Jeff.<p>

The Doctor entered with Zara and put her in the jump seat which now had two baby seats. The Doctor began programming the controls as Martha and Donna entered.

"Here we are," said the Doctor, "back to twenty-ten. Not a bad year."

He flipped the last control and the TARDIS lurched uncontrollably. Everyone grabbed ahold of the railing.

"What are you doing?," the Doctor shouted at the TARDIS.

"What setting is this?," asked Amy. "Extra rough?"

The ship continued to shake. Martha moved to keep Donna from crashing into the railing with the baby as Chloe wailed. Ianto moved towards the jump seat to hold Zara's baby seat still as Jack made his way to the console.

"What did you do to her?," shouted Jack.

"Nothing!," exclaimed the Doctor.

"That does it! I'm killing you!," shouted Donna.

Rory realized that Amy was holding her hand over his on the railing.

Suddenly, the TARDIS stopped and the only sound was Chloe's wailing. Donna moved to soothe her and glared at the Doctor.

"What was that for?," shouted Donna.

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor. "I don't know what happened."

"Where are we?," asked Jack.

"Uh..."

"Oh, God, he doesn't know," said Donna.

"You don't know?," shouted Rory.

"Well, it's not my fault! Something threw the TARDIS off course! Some sort of disturbance in the Time Vortex..."

They all looked at the door.

"What's out there?," asked Martha.

The Doctor walked out the door to find a tall woman with dark hair in Regency attire holding a copy of Shakespeare's sonnets in a richly furnished living room.

"Who are you?," she asked haughtily. "And how did you get in my house?"

The Doctor looked back at the anxious team on the TARDIS.

"So, spaceman, where are we?," asked Donna.

"Good news, Donna, it's not a space cave."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: I know, a lot of questions. Look for the sequel soon which is as yet untitled. Thanks for reading!<p> 


End file.
